By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sees the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia as a “dangerous and destabilizing escalation” to the war in Ukraine.
Austin, speaking at a Pentagon news conference with South Korea’s Defense Minister Kin Yong Hyun, said it is still not clear if Russia will send the North Korean soldiers into battle. He said the US will continue to work with allies to discourage Moscow from deploying the North Koreans on the battlefield.
“We believe that the DPRK (North Korea) has sent some 10,000 troops into eastern Ukraine and there they’ve been drawing equipment and conducting some training,” Austin said. “And some of those troops have begun to make their way towards the border of Ukraine in the Kursk region. Whether or not they’ll be deployed in the fight is left to be seen yet.”
Over the summer, Ukrainian forces made a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. Russia struggled for several months trying to dislodge the Ukrainians. But according to the Washington Post, Kyiv has suffered setbacks there is recent weeks, and Russia has now reclaimed as much as half the territory it had lost.
Austin sees the involvement of North Korean troops as a sign of desperation on Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s part.
“Of course, we know that Putin has gone tin-cupping to get weapons from the DPRK and Iran,” he said. “Turning to a pariah state like North Korea for troops just underscores how much trouble he is in. And we take this very seriously. We urge the Kremlin to change course.”
According to multiple reports, Russia is having manpower problems. US officials have estimated that Moscow is enlisting up to 30,000 soldiers a month – but that’s barely enough to keep up with reported casualties.
Meanwhile, the South Korean defense minister said there is concern what North Korea will be getting from Russia in return.
“North Korea is very likely to ask for technology transfers in diverse areas, including the technologies relating to tactical nuclear weapons, technologies related to their advancement of ICBM, also those regarding reconnaissance satellite and those regarding SSBNs as well,” Kim said. “I believe such changes in the technological situation of North Korea can pose an increase in the escalation of security threats on the Korean Peninsula.”
At the United Nations, Ukraine’s ambassador Sergiy Kyslysya said the North Korean troops will be wearing Russian uniforms, carrying Russian weapons and will have Russian identity papers to help conceal their presence. He said they are likely to be used in units manned by Russia’s ethnic Asian minorities.
